EPISODE II - DARK, WONDEROUS PAST

CHAPTER XI - REALISATION

Four Days after Expedition Departure

Sam swung the tent canvas aside and stepped out into the sunlight. He blinked, shielding his eyes from the bright rays. Gulls called out above his head and the whoosh of waves breaking resonated in his ears.

We had walked out onto a wide beach, the white sand beneath his feet warm and soft. The deep blue water gently lapped up onto the shore to his left whilst to his right, palm trees several metres above his head, serving as the front line of a thick forest.

Canvas tents of every size and colour dotted the beach, and from where Sam stood, he could just make out the masts of the Red Kite and her escorts sticking out from behind the tents. With no deep water by the island they had set up camp at, the ships had to anchor further offshore, leaving boats, swimming or flight as the only reliable means of reaching them.

A groan rumbled out behind the Scorbunny, "Ar… why does everything have to be so bright?"

Bruce stumbled out of the tent behind him, trying flutily to cover his eyes with a vine. Since boarding the Red Kite, Sam mainly hung around the boys amongst Teams Seekers and Active. And when push came to shove, the Scorbunny had ended up sharing a tent with Bruce.

Sam rubbed the back of his head with a frown, "Water and sand." He said matter-of-factly. "You really don't like the sea don't you?"

Grumbling to himself for a moment, Bruce squinted at the rabbit. "My family has lived in a forest since my great-great-great-great…greatgreatgreat-grandmother wondered in. We don't do oceans."

"Maybe you should get some sunglasses." Sam replied with a chuckle.

"How about we don't go near the ocean again after this?"

"I hate to break it to you Bruce but we live on an island."

Sighing heavily, Bruce's eyes began to widen as they adjusted. "You going to chat with the Guildmaster again?"

"That was the plan. I'll catch you at the forward camp soon."

Bruce nodded, pulling the vine away, only to wince and cover his eyes once more, "Got it buddy. We'll see you there."

The two parted ways, the Bulbasaur stumbling towards the treeline and a path carved through the undergrowth. Sam meanwhile, made his way deeper into the camp.

It had taken the better part of two days for the expedition to arrive at the first island in the micro-chain that Zeke pointed out, a relatively quick journey owing to the wind being comfortably at the fleet's back. Since the ships had weighed anchor, the Guild had descended on the island like a swarm, setting off on short journeys deeper into the forests. The aim was to investigate, map and survey the island for pirates, notable ruins, natural resources, potential new supplies and of course, any Mystery Dungeons that may have remained hidden.

Sam and the other recruits had worked to help with that effort. Whilst they hadn't come across any Mystery Dungeons yet, they had been working on the outer edge of the forest, marking down what was in each specific area before moving on.

Sam and Alice had made certain not to be part of the same team if they could avoid it. Not that it was too hard to do that. The island wasn't anywhere near as big as the one that Robinwood had been built on, but it was still big enough that it was taking time for the expedition to process even a small part of it, and the next islands were bigger than this one…

Sam slipped between the tents, making his way towards the centre of the camp. He had been trying to stay on top of any updates, any hint of Guardian ruins or even just their emblem. And that meant staying in touch with Rex, figuring if anything major came up, he'd know.

So far, Rex hadn't denied the Scorbunny access. If anything, he welcomed Sam's presence.

Sam approached a lightweight gazebo. It had been erected on a small wooden deck with black canvas covering the top to serve as shade.

Rex and Calvin were already there, the Charizard having put aside the sash that marked himself as a representative and now sporting a yellow armband in its place with the outline of a black sun in the centre. Thankfully, Calvin had been okay with Sam poking his head in too.

The pair were leaning over a wooden table that was covered in half a dozen charts and maps, some of which had been freshly updated and others had carved pieces placed atop them. Team locations and landmarks, Sam guessed.

"Maybe if we kept folks out at the camps." Calvin was saying, "Could speed up the survey."

"If we had extra manpower perhaps." Rex replied, scratching his chin, "But it would complicate the logistics of keeping teams supplied which would defy the point. We would better make sure we've got the trails fully cleared through the forest, make it easier to navigate from camp to camp."

"Might be a good idea to have someone get some touches put together then. At least we can keep the paths well-lit."

"Good idea."

The wood creaked underfoot as Sam stepped up onto the decking, bringing the Blaziken's attention to him. "Ah Sam, did you sleep well?"

"Well Bruce didn't snore this time." He replied, managing to hide most of his chuckle. "He's already headed out. Nia and Dan will probably be doing the same."

"I'll take that as a good thing," Rex replied, tone casual as he picked up another wooden piece and placed it on one of the maps. "Unfortunately, we haven't come across much in the night."

"Not even made it a hundred metres." Calvin sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Sam felt his face slacken, "You've gotta be kidding me."

That had been the one bit of trouble. Whilst progress around the island's edge had been relatively straightforward, piercing the interior was a different matter altogether. He had heard how dense the jungle was, slowing the teams down. That had even been a few feral Pokémon hanging amongst the trees, attacking some of the guildmembers on the way through. Whilst no one had been hurt badly yet, it was probably already a matter of time until that happened, especially with some teams getting lost in the trees.

"If we could just burn back-" Calvin started.

"Cal…" Rex softly groaned.

"I know, I know." The Charizard grunted, "Can't risk the fire going out of control and taking out any ruins."

Sam looked over at the map, it had only been a few days since they arrived but progress still felt painfully slow. There could have been a Guardian site just a few metres deeper in the trees, and yet they could easily walk past it without noticing. He spotted the other islands of the chain amongst the charts, still unvisited.

And yet we have to search this island first… how bad are the others going to be? I think anyone would kill to get out-

He stiffened, ears twitching as the idea drifted into his mind. It was probably a bad one… but-

"Any thoughts Sam?" Rex asked, jerking the Scorbunny back to attention.

"S-Sorry." Sam replied, "I don't know about this island but… when do you think we could check out the others?"

Rex raised a brow, clearly curious. "Already eager to leave this place behind?"

He started to shake his head, only to stop. The truth was, he was just eager for some progress, some kind of change. He needed to know what the Guardians were. What they had done. And the more time they spent trying to clear a jungle, the longer it'd take to find anything. "Well… I'm just thinking. Could we like, divide and conquer or something?"

The Blaziken huffed warmly, "Perhaps not quite like that. We need most of our people here, but we normally would send a ship to scout ahead of the main expedition."

Sam rubbed the back of his head, eying the ships anchored offshore, "Then… why haven't we done that yet?"

"You've got a pirate issue right?" Calvin asked bluntly, arms crossed.

It was only Rex's calming hand that stopped Sam from jumping, "Don't worry." He reassured him, "I have already told Calvin about the Daywalker."

Sam shook himself loose, "Ah…" he nodded towards Calvin, "Yeah, they seemed to have got pretty ballsy."

Stifling a laugh, Calvin winked at the rabbit, "Right! You've got a potential threat to those ships out there."

"The schooners." Rex started, nodding towards the two smaller ships, "They'd be the scouts, but they aren't equipped for a heavy fight, especially against anything that could threaten something the size of the Daywalker."

"Then why not the Kite?" Sam questioned, waving a hand towards the larger ship and recalling how well it had handled under sail and seeing just a handful of the cannons she had aboard her. "She looks like she could hold her own."

A warm smile formed on Rex's face, "She certainly would. But being between a brig and a frigate, she needs a large crew, and we don't have the manpower to send her out and survey this island at the same time. Even if we could-"

"The two schooners won't be able to help everyone else stuck here." Calvin finished, "Especially if we've got to evacuate."

Sam rubbed his forehead, softly groaning. The never-ending problem of manpower. He could already guess they would have had more if not for the representatives and Broken Wood taking some of that away. It was a pain in the side.

That was when he caught the glint in Calvin's eye. "Hold on. We can't send the Kite or a schooner out on their own, right?"

"That's right." Rex confirmed.

"Then why not send both schooners?"

Sam's eyes snapped towards the guildmaster, who was already casting an aside glance at the Scorbunny.

"Think about it." Calvin continued with a smirk, "Send the Crow and Penguin ahead together. They can get away with much smaller crews and watch each other's backs."

Sam chewed his lip, trying to imagine the two ships moving together, "I'd guess that would work for scouting. We could at least check the beaches out."

Rex started scratching his beak again, "The Kite can remain behind and support the expedition – and defend it if needed."

"Could she do that on her own?" Sam asked.

"We can keep her manned enough to start fighting." Rex admitted, "The rest of the crew can quickly get back aboard from here if she needs to move."

Sam nearly bounced as he rubbed his hands together, "I volunteer for scouting then!" he exclaimed, "We can head out, see what we'd expect and come back."

Seeing Rex's raised brow at his enthusiasm, he quickly calmed himself down and rolled his shoulder. "I'm just… wanting to get to the bottom of this stuff. That's all."

Rex stiffened for a second, before flashing a weak smile. "I know too well." He admitted. "And I do believe this is the best course of action."

"Y-You do?" Sam stuttered, blinking.

"Indeed. Audacity, Seekers and Active can go ahead on the Crow and Penguin, and I'll assign some of our stronger frontline teams to join you."

"I'll make it easier for you Rex." Calvin said, cracking his knuckles, "I'll lead them. I've kinda been itching for some fresh air anyway."

Calvin? We could do with the firepower but…

The Blaziken frowned, "Calvin, I'd appreciate the help, but-"

"Rex." The Charizard interrupted, "Screw the politics. I'm a Rescuer, and last time I checked, you outrank me. Put me to work."

Wait. Is he talking about Rex being the Guildmaster? Or the actual ranks? Calvin's Master Rank right? So… what rank does Rex have?

Sighing, Rex firmly nodded back. "Very well. I'll see if any of our Silver's are willing to join and contact the schooner captains, they might be able to set off today."

"I'll get some supplies prepped." Calvin replied, nodding his head before hopping out of the gazebo and strolling into the trees.

Rex turned towards Sam, "Before you go Sam… be careful out that. You're going to need to back up the others as best you can along with Alice."

Sam stiffened, not quite wanting to hear or hear about it. He quickly shook his head, electing to change the topic. "There's one thing to worry about it…"

"FUCKING HELL!" Bruce roared, looking a little more green than normal as the recruits started to push some of the longboats to the water. A few flying types flew above their heads, headed towards the two smaller ships. "Just when I was getting settled!"

"I'll take it." Denver grunted as he pushed one of the boats into the water, "The bugs in that jungle are murder."

Sam blinked, back pressed against another boat, "Err… Denver you are a bug type."

The Skorupi's pincers snapped together, "No type can protect against those little bastards."

Dan stumbled from around another boat, noticeable red spots dotted across his arm. "H-He's not kidding." He wheezed.

Feeling a shiver down his spine, Sam promptly analysed his arms for any bite marks that had evaded his notice.

"A Silver-Rank team will be following in behind us." Edward said as he trotted towards them, Nia and Alice following him from behind.

That's good to hear. Sam mused to himself as his eyes shifted towards the Noibat and Buneary, the former hovering just behind her. Huh… Nia's been trying to hang around Alice a lot more since we've set off. I wonder why Alice hasn't thrown her off yet.

The recruits started to gather around two of the boats, "Good. So…" Sam started, "We've got two ships. Who's going where?"

"I'll go on the Crow." Alice simply stated, not even looking Sam's way.

Not that he was in any mood to argue with her on which little boat they'd go on.

"Right." Sam said, "Looks like it's the Penguin for me."

Bruce seemed to recover enough to look more bewildered, glancing between the two rabbits. "Well… I heard that the Penguin is less… tippy? You don't mind if we-"

Nia dropped down to the floor next to Alice, "You can sign me up for the Crow." She declared, bumping Alice's side with a wing. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

Sam nearly smirked as Alice groaned in reply.

Looking even more perplexed, Bruce slowly nodded his head, "O-Okay… well if the girls are doing that, how about us boys go on the Penguin! Would make a change!"

"Well…" Edward started, "It's a four-mon Silver Team, should be able to even things up."

Dan shuffled on the spot with a visible quiver, as his gaze flicked between Nia and Bruce. "I-I-I… I don't know if it's-"

Nia placed a paw onto the Morpeko's shoulder, "Go on Dan! Give it a try with the boys!" she flashed a gigantic grin, "Should be a new experience!"

A fuzzy feeling formed inside Sam as Dan seemed to visibly relax at the bat's words. Nia is damn good to Dan.

A hearty laugh rumbled from the camp, "Good job Team Iris is all girls then! Just don't start getting competitive! It's a team effort!"

Calvin stomped across the beach towards them, two big satchels hung over his side… and alongside him walked Zeke. His chains had been removed, but the silver collar was still secured around his neck. Sam blinked, he'd heard of Zeke being bought on the expedition to help with the search. But it was the first time he had seen him in a few days.

Denver snarled, "What's he doing here?"

"Calm down Denver." Edward stressed softly, "He's not going to hurt us."

"I'm only here in case I recognise anything." Zeke quietly admitted, "I won't get in the way."

"He's been through a lot." Calvin said seriously, "Treat him as well as any other. Now if you don't mind me-" he patted the satchels, "I've gotta pass on these requests to the captains."

With a whump of his wings, the Charizard flew up into the air, kicking sand straight into the recruits' faces. Sam quickly covered his eyes, gritting his teeth as the grains bounced off him. Edward hadn't been so lucky, the Skiddo coughing wildly out of sight. Blinking, Sam lowered his arm. The dragon was already flying towards the smaller ships, the sound of his wingbeat already fading away.

"Team ACT my ass." Denver grumbled, rubbing his eyes, "At least take off away from all the sand!"

"At least he's coming to help us." Alice grunted back.

Sam frowned, "Look, we better get over to the ships. Won't want them to leave without us."

"Yes." Zeke said weakly, "Lets."

The boys started loading up onto one of the boats, the girls having to wait for Team Iris to catch up. As the Scorbunny took his seat, he cast an eye towards Alice, her back now turned as she leaned against their craft. She's all alone again…

Sighing, he took one of the oars, and pushed the boat out into the water.

The wind was still at the ship's backs, so the journey towards the next island was a much quicker affair once the Penguin and the Crow had brought themselves out into open water, a collection of islands now visible before the horizon. Rex had requested the captains to at least survey the edge of the largest island, which happened to be the closest one of the chain.

It only took a few hours for the schooners to reach that island, but they couldn't get close. Waves crashed against towering grey cliffs, far too craggy and rough for the ships to approach. That left only one option, to circle around to a beach they could access.

Sam leaned against the railing of the vessel, watching the coast as the Penguin slowly started it's search. But occasionally, he would turn his head towards the Crow trailing behind them. He tried to put the thought of her passengers out of his head, but it wasn't working.

Not that he could move elsewhere, Bruce was still puking over on the other side of the ship whilst Dan tried to get the Bulbasaur to nibble on some bread chunks.

Dry heaving was hell, apparently. Sam figured he'd let the Morpeko do what he could to help his teammate. Edward meanwhile was now browsing through some charts along with the navigator, Zeke was watching the shore from the bow, and he had no idea where Denver was hiding. And Al-

Gah, fuck!

He thumped the railing, unable to finally turn his attention away from Alice. Not even the thought of finding Guardian ruins or any clues was getting buried. Come on! Alice can't stand me half the time on a good day, why should I even bother with her? After the bullshit she threw at me. No won-

"You look ready to fight someone."

Sam jerked upright. "H-Huh?"

Standing behind him was Calvin, the lean Charizard casting a wary eye on the Scorbunny.

"Calvin!" Sam exclaimed, "I'm not planning on that!"

"Bet you aren't." he gruffly replied, "But you're pissed, punching the railing and all."

The Charizard walked over to join Sam at the railing, eyes flicking between the island and the following Crow. "How are you?"

Sam tightened his grip on the railing, "Err… yeah. Just want to get started with surveying the place. Find what Kain was looking for, you know?"

"And are you going to do that alone?"

Flinching, Sam turned to fully face the dragon, his heart beginning to beat harder, "What's that supposed to mean?"

A low deep rumble came from Calvin, encouraging Sam to sweep a foot back. When Calvin turned to face him, his eyes were narrowed, and a faint stream of smoke rose from his nostrils.

"Let's say I can smell a mistake coming."

And with that, Sam bared his teeth, his fists clenching as he fought to keep himself from exploding.

On the Crow, Alice had found herself in a similar position to what Sam was in. She had positioned herself at the railing of the ship, albeit at the bow rather than the side. Behind her, she could hear the members of Team Iris talking amongst themselves, flashing whatever new possessions they got their hands on.

But it was something else that surprised her entirely.

"Make sure to keep those ropes tight!" Kaliani called out, hopping across the deck as she inspected some of the crew working on the deck. "I don't want the wind to blow us into those rocks!"

Zeke's presence was something Alice could expect. But she didn't expect Kaliani to join them until the Trumbeak helped her and Nia onto the Crow. The girl had been through a lot, something Alice could understand. But as the Buneary saw her passing on orders from the captain, she realised this was the best place for her to be. She was a sailor at the end of the day.

Alice watched the coast, wondering wha-

Nia hovered in front of her, a bright smile stretched across her face. "Whatcha doing?"

Alice recoiled, raising clenched fists. "Can you stop doing that Nia!" she barked.

The Noibat froze almost comically in front of her, "C-Come on! You like my surprises!"

"Not when they are non-stop!"

The Buneary started to hop towards the other side of the ship's bow, trying to ignore the thud as Nia landed on the deck behind her. "Just tell me what I can do then!" she shouted, "You are so on edge! Like… more on edge than normal!"

"Just sounds like another normal day to me." Alice grunted back, reaching the other end and leaning against the railing there. "It's none of your bus-"

"IT IS MY DAMN BUSINESS!"

The scream wasn't the loudest she heard, but Alice still had to retract both ears to cover them, the ship went briefly silent, a few members of the crew pausing to look their way, only for another deckhand to bark for them to get back to work.

"Can you keep it down for one fucking minute!" Alice hissed, releasing her ears.

"No!" Nia shouted back, managing to dial it down regardless. "Ever since the representatives arrived you've been so much nastier to Sam! And to the others!"

Alice groaned and turned away as Nia continued ranting, "I'm trying to help you here!"

"Yeah, that's what Sam offered." She growled back, "Then that liar just proved himself to be no better than anyone else."

She clenched her fists, eyes focused on the water. That was who nearly everyone was. Another person to disappoint her and turn on her. No matter how nice they seemed to act.

"You lost your parents to Dark Matter… right?"

Alice's head jerked up, her legs suddenly feeling weak beneath her. Nia's words were soft, without any shred of anger, something that Alice wasn't prepared for.

She turned back to face Nia, but instead of the bubbly Pokémon she recognised, instead, she looked much calmer and composed with her wings placed at her side. "H-How…" Alice started. "How did you…"

Nia walked up to join Alice, "I kinda worked it out awhile ago. I saw how badly you reacted about Dark Matter when Edward talked about it, and there is that cursed rumour too – which is rubbish by the way!" She placed her hands on the railing, "And there's how much the guildmaster keeps an eye on you too, the same one who led Team STAR…"

Alice could only stare blankly at the bat as she shrugged, "It wasn't that hard to connect the dots. I'm… sorry that happened to you."

Taking a shaky sigh, the Buneary steadied herself against the railing. Of all the people to work out her secret… her past…

"Nia…" she managed to utter, "You are officially scary, you know that right?"

She pulled a sly smile at that, if only briefly, "Let's pull back a sec. You don't trust many people because of all the shit you've put up with? I don't know what has happened between you and Sam-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Alice said quietly back.

"Hear me out."

For f…

She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, not with what Nia was pulling off now. She still suspected that Nia wouldn't back down. So…

"Shoot."

Steadying herself with a shallow breath, Nia got started again. "I'm going to take a guess. Sam didn't tell you something big about himself right? And you got mad at him because he knows about what happened to you?"

"Get to the point." Alice bluntly stated, finally directing her gaze on the Penguin further ahead of them.

Nia tapped the railing with a claw, "Okay. Let me put it like this. What if Sam was like you?"

Alice's back stiffened, "The fuck?" she growled.

The bat, still composed, raised her hands as Alice turned back to face her. "Seriously, did you tell anyone else about your past?"

"No!"

"Why then?"

"Because it would get me or someone hurt!" Alice replied, clenching her jaw.

That was when the coin dropped. Alice suddenly felt cold as the words left her mouth. Someone getting hurt…

'I could be putting others in danger. I mean, what about Alice? She's been through so much… I don't want to throw her into another quagmire because of me.'

Sam… you were being a fucking idiot so many times but… you were always…

"Sam was probably thinking the same." Nia explained, "And that's not the only thing!"

Alice tore her eyes away, back towards the Penguin. But Nia scrambled around to remain in her view, "You've had – what? – six years to work through what happened. Sam's had six weeks. He probably doesn't know how to fully talk about it."

And Sam… probably wouldn't have to talked to Jack about it unless he felt like he…

The realisation only made Alice feel even colder.

Sam could feel himself burning up as the Charizard stared him down, both their nostrils flaring. If this had been over six weeks ago, Sam would probably have backed down or tried to ease the situation. But after fighting Greg and Kain, he didn't feel any fear of Calvin trying to fight him. He doubted it would end well, but he wasn't going to retreat here.

"What's this all about?" Sam questioned.

A sharp tooth poked out of the dragon's mouth, "Your attitude. And your partner."

Groaning, Sam rolled his eyes, "Look, we agreed to call it quits after the expedition. Its for the best."

Calvin merely grunted in reply, "Heh, so you think it's alright to keep barking down each other's throats?"

For fucking crying out loud, what's his problem!?

Fists squeezing even tighter, Sam's voice started to rise, "She was the one who blew her lid! Acting like a damn bitch!"

"Oh yeah?" the dragon questioned, taking a loud step forward as he looked down at the rabbit. "And you think shouting back at her is going to help? Sounds you pissed her off!"

"I tried to calm her down!" he snapped back, "And she ended up tearing me down for it!"

Calvin seemed to darken and grow bigger before him, "And here you are, still going on at each other. It's like you're some old married couple!"

Sam's eyes burned, "A-Alice isn't my concern anymore! I've got more important shit to deal with!"

"Screw that! You do give a crap, so why are you being such an arsey little shit over it!"

"BECAUSE I FUCKED UP!"

The Scorbunny panted, his body feeling like jelly. Not from fear, but from the shout itself. He could feel a few stares from the crew working on deck, but they didn't stop working.

The Charizard glared silently down at him as Sam felt the briefest flicker of a tear form, something Sam swiftly wiped away, "I kept something back about myself." He said quietly, throat sore. "And when she lashed out that I didn't trust her, I snapped."

He turned away, directing his gaze back towards the trailing Crow. "I... I started driving her away. And every time we tried to reconnect, we just started fighting again. And I just keep…"

Sam couldn't finish that sentence as Calvin started chuckling. "You're not pissed off at Alice. You're angry with yourself."

Clutching the railing, Sam couldn't bring himself to look Calvin's way. He wanted to deny it, Alice had thrown no small amount of abuse his way. But it was he who got the ball rolling. He was so terrified of what response he would get that he would get that he failed to see what hiding the truth would have meant to Alice.

"Yes… I… I pushed her away…"

He turned to face the now smiling Charizard, "You meant for me to get angry…"

Calvin gave a bemused flick of his wings, "Can't exactly beat pushing people's buttons until things click."

"Did… was that something you worked on with Rex?" Sam meekly asked.

"Worked with? More like something Rex learnt whilst playing hero."

And then, much like it had for Alice on the Crow, the penny dropped.

'You've always got to be some kind of hero, barging your way into other people's problems and trying to act like you are looking out for everyone!'

He had thought Alice was going on about him headlong into danger despite her warnings. But she was not meaning that at all.

"What are you thinking of Sam?" Calvin asked.

Sam's body started to numb, his eyes fixed on the rocking form of the Crow.

"I… I just kinda realised something."

W…What am I doing?

"And what's that?"

Sam's next words were soft, and tinged with a bit of sadness. "I never had to-"

"-go it alone."

Alice's eyes were fixed on the Penguin, feeling low on energy. W… What am I doing?

Nia leaned in closer and more into view, staring wide-eyed at the Buneary. "Wwwell?"

She blinked back, feeling the chill fade away, "I… I just realised something. I'm… I'm going to have to talk to him when we get the chance."

Rubbing her hands together, she finally looked back towards Nia with a small smile, "Thanks. I needed to hear all that."

With a beaming smile, Nia bobbed up and down in delight. "Amazing! I knew you two would come around!" Before Alice could react, she had planted a hand into her back, "You two do get along!"

"Get your hand. Off my back." Alice said bluntly but warmly.

"Okay." Nia complied.

Alice started to look back towards the front ship… but that was when she saw it, placed further past the Robinwood vessel.

She frowned, "Wait. What's that?"

"I'm guessing you figured out we were having a row?" Sam asked.

"Saw the whole thing from a mile away." Calvin admitted.

The two fire types were now leaning more casually against the railing, the rage having quickly faded away. Sam rubbed the back of his head, "I'm going to speak to Alice, sure." He stressed, "But… why are you so interested in us? I mean, we've just gotta be another team right?"

With a huff, Calvin shook his head, "Let's just say you remind me of someone. Someone who recently… had a pretty nasty break up."

"Break up?"

"With a teammate. A partner."

The Charizard sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It's not been pretty to watch. Not after seeing how important the bonds between teams are. I've felt it with Team ACT. I've seen it dozens of other teams, including Rex's."

That perked his ears up, "Rex had a team?" He asked.

Now he flashed a grin, "Team STAR." He explained, "Damn, you should have seen them, they were legends. There was only one Mon who inspired us in Team ACT more."

Sam frowned, There was one Mon who was better than Rex and his entire team? Or, what? More inspirational?

"And… who was that?"

He only got a snort at that, "That would be a story for another time. The point is, never give up on your teammates. They are your anchor when the whole world turns against you."

Is… is he talking about Team Warden?

"I don't want you to lose that bond because of something stupid." Calvin stressed, "Cherish it. And together… I bet you two could take on anything."

The Charizard smiled again as he patted the Scorbunny on the back, "I better get back to work." He said, starting to walk away.

Sam couldn't stop himself blurting out the word, "Wait!"

Calvin stopped to look back at the Scorbunny, "That Pokémon you mentioned, the one I reminded you of… who are they?"

The smile shifted to something smaller, more sincere, as if the dragon was recalling a pleasant memory. "His name's Tobias."

Tobias…

With a mock salute, Calvin turned away again, "Keep up the good work – as a team – and who knows? Maybe you'll meet him one day."

As he walked away, Sam spun on his heel to look back towards the Crow. Maybe… maybe we will…

He closed his eyes. I've just gotta find out how.

That was when the bell started ringing. "Sails! Straight ahead!"

Huh?!

Sam's eyes snapped open just as the crew ran into overdrive, responding to new orders being barked out. Instinct took over as Sam started running, headed for the ship's bow, scrambling up the steps to reach it. Zeke was trying to look over the railing, glancing back briefly to see who was coming. "There it is!"

Sam could see the ship appearing from behind a cliff. It was too far for him to catch all the details, but its size was easy. A two-decker, with three masts poking out from it's deck, supporting black sails.

Someone squarked out another panicked report, and he could hear Zeke hiss, but Sam's eyes had already drifted towards the top of the contact.

Where a black flag adorned with a white skull and crossbones flapped in the wind.

Sam felt his heart miss a beat.

Pirates!

Author's Note: Alright, and again, this took longer than planned, but the latest GoB Chapter is complete! This is a bit of a slower chapter, but not for much longer, as it sets the stage for the episode's main conflict. I hope it is enjoyable for you all again!